England vs Pakistan Archives

Saud makes big leap as ICC announces latest Test Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan middle-order batter Saud Shakeel made a significant gain in his batting rankings as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, released the latest Test rankings.

The left-handed batter, who made his Test debut in Pakistan’s first Test against England in Rawalpindi, announced himself in the longest format in style as he smashed three half-centuries in just four innings.

Saud, has thus far, accumulated 270 runs in four innings at a hefty average of 67.50 and is currently Pakistan’s top-scorer in the historic series.

Following his remarkable start, the left-handed batter jumped 32 places to secure his career-best 61st place with 488 ranking points.

Three successive half-centuries in his first two matches 👏

🗣️ @saudshak sheds light on his impressive start to Test cricket#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/get0VkHKH6

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 12, 2022

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who smashed his eighth overall Test century in the Rawalpindi Test, managed to hang on to his third spot, while wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, who is going through a rough patch, slipped four spots and dropped down to the 21st place.

Pakistan ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, on the other hand, who missed the historic home Test series against England due to injury, managed to retain his fifth spot in the Test bowling rankings and is currently the only Pakistan bowler in the Top 10.

Australia’s star batter Marnus Labuschagne continued to reign supreme in the Test batting rankings and added another feather to his cape as he drew level with India’s top batter Virat Kohli’s Test rating record on the all-time list.

Marnus Labuschagne strong on top 👏
Virat Kohli climbs ⬆
Travis Head jumps into top 10 💪

Lots of movement in the @MRFWorldwide Test and ODI Men's Player Rankings this week 📈📉

— ICC (@ICC) December 14, 2022

“In-form Australia star and newly-crowned No.1 Test batter in the world Marnus Labuschagne has added to his bulging resume by drawing level with India great Virat Kohli on the all-time list and bringing up a new career-high rating on the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings,” stated ICC in a press release.

“Labuschagne only claimed the top ranking from England’s Joe Root earlier this month, but the 28-year-old has moved further ahead at the top of the list for Test batters following an outstanding series against the West Indies.

“The right-hander amassed a whopping 502 runs for the two-match series, with his magnificent knock of 163 during the first innings of the second Test in Adelaide helping Labuschagne join Kohli on a career-high rating of 937 points.”

England Test players also enjoyed notable surges in the Test rankings following their series win over Pakistan with Harry Brook climbing 15 places on the Test batting rankings to 55th spot, courtesy of his two centuries against Pakistan in each of the first two Tests.

Whereas, season pacer James Anderson and his fellow youngster Ollie Robbinson got the rewards of their impressive outing against Pakistan as the former soared a place to claim the second spot while the latter jumped three spots to bag his career-best sixth spot.

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‘Rizwan should be rested,’ Hafeez advises Babar to pick Sarfaraz for Karachi Test

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez advised to give wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan ‘a break’ and include Sarfaraz Ahmed in the Playing XI for the upcoming Karachi Test.

Hafeez, in an interview with a local channel, commented on the debate of replacing Rizwan with Sarfaraz and threw his weight behind former Test captain Sarfaraz, emphasizing the fact that the former needs a break.

“Sarfaraz has been with the team for the last three years but only as a traveller and could not play a match and at several points, he can be given a chance to play,” said Hafeez.

“And I still think that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s think tank and even Babar should think that if Rizwan could not deliver well in this format then they should give him a break and Sarfaraz or even any other option they have, should be utilized in a best possible way,” he added.

Notably, besides Hafeez, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik also advised including Sarfaraz and Shan Masood in the upcoming Karachi Test; claiming Sarfaraz will bring much experience & Shan will help this team to have more stability.

“In my opinion, Pakistan should include Sarfaraz Ahmed & Shan Masood in playing 11. Sarfaraz will bring much experience & Shan will help this team to have more stability. I hope our team will perform well in Karachi insha’Allah.” he tweeted.

Malik’s suggestion for changes in the team came at a time when Pakistan faced two consecutive defeats and lost the home series 2-0 against England.

England sealed a dramatic win earlier today as they beat Pakistan by 26 runs in Multan Test on Day 4.

It is pertinent to mention that Sarfaraz was captain of the side when he played his last Test in January 2019 and has since been unable to find a spot in the Playing XI.

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Naseem Shah ruled out of Karachi Test due to injury

LAHORE: Young right-arm pacer Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the Karachi Test of the ongoing historic series between Pakistan and England due to a shoulder injury, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed.

According to the PCB, a niggle in his right shoulder resulted in him missing the last match of the historic home series against England.

Notably, discomfort in his shoulder also barred Naseem from partaking in the recently concluded Multan Test.

The PCB also shared that the right-arm pacer will now get rehabilitation at the National High Performance Centre (NHPC), while the team management had not requested his replacement as of yet.

“The fast bowler will travel to Lahore where he will undergo further assessment at the National High Performance Centre before beginning rehabilitation,” PCB stated.

“The team management has not requested for his replacement at this stage,” PCB added.

It is pertinent to mention that the squads of Pakistan and England will land in Karachi tomorrow afternoon to lock horns in the last Test of the series, scheduled to take place from December 17 to 21.

READ: Pakistan U19 captain Aroob Shah gets four-year scholarship

Pakistan slip to No.6 in WTC standings after England series defeat

DUBAI: The disappointing outcome of the Multan Test which cost Pakistan a 2-0 series loss against England, also took a heavy toll on Pakistan’s aspirations to play the 2021-2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Prior to the series, Pakistan had a decent chance of earning one of the top two slots in the WTC standings, but back-to-back defeats in the first two games slipped Pakistan to no.6 on the table.

With a percentage of 42.42 after the recent defeats, Pakistan’s Test Championship run is virtually over. In addition to winning the final Test against Pakistan, they must also defeat New Zealand when they visit Pakistan next month and still hope that other outcomes in the championship go their way.

Australia are currently sitting at the top of the WTC table with 75 PCT and it will be nearly impossible to displace them from the top position. Meanwhile, South Africa also seem firm on no. 2 with 60 PCT but has a crucial away series in Australia which will decide their fate.

England, on the other hand, with very little to no chances to play the Test Championship final has jumped ahead of Pakistan in the standings with Sri Lanka and India on third and fourth, respectively.

New Zealand are the reigning World Test Champions after they beat India in the WTC final in Southhampton in 2021.

READ: PAK v ENG: PCB puts tickets on sale for final Test in Karachi

‘We think the ball touched ground first’ Babar on Saud’s dismissal

MULTAN: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has put forward his stance on Saud Shakeel’s controversial dismissal, saying that it seemed like the ball had made the ground first but one has to accept the umpires’ decision.

The dismissal, which apparently cost Pakistan a 26-run defeat against England in the second Test, occurred on day 4 when Saud was batting at 94 with Pakistan just 65 runs away from the target. He gloved the ball behind stumps off Mark Wood and wicket-keeper Ollie Pope dived to carry an edge that went too low but still managed to get his gloves underneath the ball.

Was it out or not out?#ASportsHD #PAKvENG #UKsePK pic.twitter.com/HHjVvlmCQ3

— ASports (@asportstvpk) December 12, 2022

On-field umpires referred the decision to third umpire Joel Wilson who took a while to check the catch and declared it out at last.

“To us, it seems like the ball has touched the ground first,” said the Pakistan captain in a post-match press conference on Monday. “But as a professional, you have to accept the umpire’s decision.

Following Saud’s dismissal, England pacers ran through the tailender to bundle out Pakistan for 328 in the second innings and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after a dramatic win in Multan.

“We made some mistakes. The game was well in our hands like the previous one, but, unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it properly,” said Babar.

He added that the lack of experience especially the absence of the team’s key fast bowlers due to injuries led to the team’s disappointing loss in the match.

“We were a bit unlucky that our main bowlers got unfit before the game which cost us this series. But this cannot be an excuse because as a team we didn’t play good cricket” he said.

Pakistan team had rested its bowling mainstay, Naseem Shah after he suffered discomfort in his shoulder before the start of the second Test match while Haris Rauf was ruled out of the series after pulling a quad injury in the first Test.

The final Test of the historic three-match series will take place from December 17 to 21 in Karachi.

READ: England seal series after dramatic win over Pakistan in Multan Test

Ben Stokes equals coach Brendon McCullum’s Test record

MULTAN: England Test captain Ben Stokes equalled his coach Brendon McCullum’s famed record of hitting the most sixes in Test cricket amid his 41-run knock against Pakistan in the ongoing second Test.

Stokes, who resumed England’s second innings at 202/5 with Harry Brook, played an important knock of 41 runs in 51 balls and briefly carried his overnight partnership with the latter to set England to finish at a decent total.

Amid his 41-run knock, the left-handed batter smashed one boundary and a six.

Stokes’ six against Pakistan in the second innings was his career’s 107th six in 160 innings that propelled him to equal McCullum’s record of as many sixes.

McCullum took 176 innings to set the bar, while Stokes equalled the tally with 16 innings fewer than his coach.

It is pertinent to mention that a vital 108-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel anchored Pakistan to 198/4 at the stumps on day three, requiring another 157 runs to square off a series-levelling victory.

Pakistan opener Imam, who came out to bat at number five perished in the closing minutes of the third day’s action after scoring a fighting half-century.

Whereas, Saud stood firm with his unbeaten 54 and will resume the run chase with Faheem Ashraf (3*) on an anticipated decisive day of the second Test.

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‘Match is evenly balanced,’ batting coach Yousuf on Multan Test

MULTAN: Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf asserted Multan Test to be equally balanced between the two sides as Pakistan finished at 198/4 at the conclusion of the third day’s action.

Yousuf, while talking to the media following the conclusion of the third day’s play and predicted the outcome of the ongoing Multan Test.

“What I’m seeing right now is that this match is 50-50. Look, a Test match goes this way, in the first session we lost three wickets and in the next session we got a partnership between Imam and Saud, both played very well and put England under pressure,” said Yousuf.

“But, the wicket that fell four overs before the stumps, brought England back in the game. Otherwise, if you look at the situation of this match, if Imam didn’t get out then England would be under even more pressure and even it will not be a 50-50 situation.

“It is a part of the game and the beauty of Test cricket is that it goes session by session and more importantly, such tense matches are important to keep Test cricket alive.”

On a question regarding whether it was a conscious effort from the hosts to play with a better run rate, Yousuf claimed that it has always been discussed in the camp but in the end, we have to play according to the situation of the match.

“Look, it is often discussed in the camp with the players and we offer them since they all are professional players but sometimes the situation or wicket is such that you can not score freely,” Yousuf shared.

“If you look at this series, for example, they have been playing at a much higher rate than us but if we consider our requirements then we’ve been going accordingly in the last four innings and that is a good sign for everyone,” he maintained.

On a question regarding wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan’s struggling patch in his last five Tests and whether he should be rested for the Karachi Test and replaced by former captain Sarfaraz Ahmer, batting coach Yousuf claimed it is not in his domain.

“Since I started working with the cricket board, around two years ago and have been with the team for the last eight to ten months, so one thing is really clear that everyone would work by staying in his domain,” answered Yousuf.

“And that is a good thing, I won’t go in anyone’s domain, no one would come into mine. So, I do not think that this question belongs to my domain,” he concluded.

Pakistan opener Imam, who came out to bat at number five perished in the closing minutes of the third day’s action after scoring a fighting half-century.

Whereas, Saud stood firm with his unbeaten 54 and will resume the run chase with Faheem Ashraf (3*) on an anticipated decisive day of the second Test.

READ: Imam, Saud anchor Pakistan to 198/4 at stumps after brief collapse

Imam-ul-Haq taken to hospital for MRI scans

MULTAN: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq was taken to a local hospital here for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans on Sunday.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Imam “felt unease in his right hamstring” during the ongoing third Test.

Following Imam’s absence, wicket-keeper batted Mohammad Rizwan opened the innings for Pakistan with Abdullah Shafique.

Meanwhile, in the first session of Day 3, England bundled out for 275 and managed to set a decent 355-run target for the hosts.

Left-handed batter Harry Brook led the way for the touring side as he brought up his second Test century to power England to set a commendable total for Pakistan.

He top-scored with a magnificent 108 off 149 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries and a six.

READ: Rizwan, Abdullah script decent start to Pakistan’s run chase

Imam, Saud anchor Pakistan to 198/4 at stumps after brief collapse

MULTAN: Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel put on a fighting 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket to bolster Pakistan to finish at 198/4 before the conclusion of the third day of the ongoing second Test.

Pakistan opener Imam, who came out to bat at number five perished in the closing minutes of the third day’s action after scoring a fighting half-century.

Earlier, the duo of Imam and Saud took the charge of the English bowlers in the final session and neutralized the top-order collapse with a gritty 108-run partnership as both scored half-centuries.

The pair appeared solid and likely to carry their bat through till the stumps before Jack Leach provided England with a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Imam, who walked back after scoring 60 off 104 balls with the help of seven boundaries.

Saud, on the other hand, stood firm and carried on his unbeaten half-century knock as he finished not out on 54 and added seven runs for the fifth wicket with Faheem Ashraf before the stumps.

Saud (54*) and Faheem (3*) will now resume the run chase for Pakistan on the fourth day. The hosts need 157 runs to level the series, while England need six wickets to claim a historic series triumph.

James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Jack Leach all picked up a wicket apiece for England in the final innings.

The touring side enjoyed an eventful second session of the third day as they removed Pakistan’s key batters, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique in quick successions to halt their march despite openers providing a solid start.

Pakistan, on the other hand, could only add 72 runs for the loss of three wickets and needed a further 219 runs with more than two days remaining.

Pakistan openers Abdullah and Rizwan, who seemed exceptional in the first session, failed to carry on their momentum as Anderson took just five deliveries after the break to split the opening stand.

The veteran pacer deceived Rizwan with an outstanding outswinger that castled the latter’s off-stump and put an end to his 30-run knock.

Pakistan then endured a major setback when captain Babar perished cheaply as he could score a mere one run before being castled by Robinson.

Following two back-to-back dismissals, Abdullah attempted to anchor the run chase but could only add 17 runs with Saud Shakeel for the third wicket as Wood brought an end to his fighting knock and Pakistan consequently, slipped to 83/3.

The right-handed opening batter scored 45 off 94 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and four sixes.

Following the slump, however, Saud and Imam-ul-Haq put on a brave fight as they kept English bowlers at bay and ticked the scoreboard to take Pakistan to 136/3 at the stroke of Tea.

Saud was unbeaten on 32 while Imam had made 25 not out.

Earlier, Pakistan openers Abdullah and Rizwan managed to provide a decent despite the absence of full-time opener Imam, who was taken to a local hospital here for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans as he felt unease in his right hamstring.

Their unbeaten partnership bolstered Pakistan to finish at 64/0 at Lunch on the third day of the ongoing second Test.

The duo appeared solid and scored at a decent rate of more than four runs per over to push English bowlers at the backfoot.

At the time of the lunch break, Abdullah was unbeaten on 34 while Rizwan had made 28 not out.

Earlier, England bundled out for 275 in the second innings and managed to set a decent 355-run target for the hosts.

Left-handed batter Harry Brook led the way for the touring side as he brought up his second Test century to power England to set a commendable total for Pakistan.

READ: Brook’s century powers England to set 355-run target for Pakistan

Brook’s century powers England to set 355-run target for Pakistan

MULTAN: England Harry Brook brought up his second Test century against Pakistan and powered his side to set a commendable 355-run target for Pakistan on Day 3 of the second Test.

England, resuming at an overnight score of 202/5, managed to accumulate a further 73 runs at the cost of their remaining wicket.

Left-handed batter Brook led the way for England, who brought up his second Test century against Pakistan in as many matches after he resumed his overnight 79-run knock.

The touring side had an unwanted start to their proceedings as they lost their skipper Ben Stokes for a vital 41-run knock and could add 54 runs on the third day with Brook.

Following Stokes’ dismissal, England began to lose wickets at a frustrating pace and soon slipped to 270/8.

Brook, however, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and went on to smash his second Test century.

The left-handed batter also fell victim to England’s batting collapse and was dismissed by Zahid Mahmood in the 65th over.

Brook top-scored for England in the second innings with his magnificent knock of 108 off 149 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries and a six.

Besides him, Ben Duckett (79) and English captain Stokes (41) were the notable run-getter for England in their last innings.

Debutant Abrar Ahmer once again was clinical with the ball as he returned with brilliant bowling figures of 4/120, while Zahid picked up three wickets, followed by Mohammad Nawaz, who bagged one.

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